Sturgeon, any of more than 25 species of fishes of the family Acipenseridae (subclass Chondrostei), native to temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Most species live in the sea and ascend rivers (possibly once in several years) to spawn in spring or summer; a few others are confined to fresh water. Several species provide caviar from eggs.

Sturgeon (Acipenser)

Russ Kinne/Photo Researchers

Sturgeons are related to the paddlefish and perhaps to the bichir. They have bony plates (scutes) covering the head and five longitudinal rows of similar plates along the body. The tail fin is heterocercal, the upper lobe being longer than the lower. The toothless mouth, on the underside of the snout, is preceded by four sensitive, tactile barbels that the fish drags over the bottom in search of invertebrates, small fishes, and other food.

Sturgeons are found in greatest abundance in the rivers of southern Russia and Ukraine and in the freshwaters of North America. In early summer they migrate from the sea into rivers or toward the shores of freshwater lakes for breeding purposes. The eggs, or roe, are small, sticky, and numerous. The young grow rapidly until maturity, after which growth continues slowly for several years. Sturgeons may attain great size, with specimens of 2–3 metres (7–10 feet) a common occurrence in some species.

Sturgeons are valued for their flesh, eggs, and swim bladder. Their flesh is sold fresh, pickled, or smoked. Caviar consists of the eggs, which are stripped from ripe females who are subsequently released. The inner membrane of the sturgeon’s swim bladder is used to make isinglass, a very pure form of gelatin used for various industrial purposes. The largest commercial sturgeon fisheries are in southern Russia, Ukraine, and Iran, though the industry is also carried on in the United States and western Europe. Sturgeons are readily overfished, however, and fishing in some areas is strictly limited.

The common Old World sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) occurs from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. A very similar, closely related form, considered a separate species (A. oxyrhynchus) by some authorities, occurs along the east coast of North America. The length of these fishes is generally to about 3 metres (10 feet); their weight can reach about 227 kg (500 pounds).

A. guldenstadtii is one of the most-valuable species inhabiting the rivers of Russia and occurs eastward to Lake Baikal. It is about the same size as the common sturgeon and is found particularly in the rivers feeding the Black and Caspian seas. A smaller species, the sterlet (A. ruthenus), inhabits the Black and Caspian seas and is a valuable food fish about 0.9 metre (3 feet) long. A. stellatus occurs in the rivers of the Black and Caspian seas and of the Sea of Azov. It has a long, pointed snout like the sterlet, and its flesh, caviar, and isinglass are highly valued.

The beluga, or hausen (Huso huso, or Acipenser huso), inhabits the Caspian and Black seas and the Sea of Azov. A large sturgeon, it reaches a length of 7.5 metres (25 feet) and a weight of 1,300 kg (2,900 pounds), but its flesh and caviar are less valuable than those of smaller species.

The Chinese sturgeon (A. sinensis), which can grow to more than 4 metres (13 feet) in length, inhabits the East China Sea and South China Sea but returns to adjacent rivers to reproduce. The Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) is its main spawning environment. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the Chinese sturgeon to be critically endangered because its population declined nearly 98 percent between 1973 and 2010. The species decline has been associated with water pollution in the Yangtze and dam construction that has blocked access to or changed the flow regime near the sturgeon’s remaining spawning areas. Some researchers worry that the species is close to extinction because there has been no evidence of reproduction in the wild in 2013 and 2014.

The lake, or rock, sturgeon (A. fulvescens) of North America occurs in the Mississippi River valley, Great Lakes, and Canada and may weigh more than 90 kg (200 pounds). The white, Oregon, or Sacramento sturgeon (A. transmontanus) occurs on the Pacific coast and is the largest of the North American sturgeons, weighing up to 820 kg (1,800 pounds).

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any member of a group of primitive ray-finned bony fishes that make up one of the three major subdivisions of the superclass Actinopterygii, the other two being the holosteans and the teleosts. The only living representatives are the sturgeons and paddlefishes (order Acipenseriformes) and the...

...migrate from the Black Sea, such as the Danube mackerel and the sturgeon, which produces caviar, Romania’s most valuable fish product. In 2006, however, Romania issued a 10-year ban on commercial sturgeon fishing, citing concerns about the decline in sturgeon populations. Canneries are located at Tulcea, Constanța, and Galați. Trout farms are scattered throughout the...

...sturgeons, halibut, plaice, shrimps, prawns, lobster, spiny lobster, king crabs, and turtles. Single-walled nets are used in the southern part of the Caspian Sea and in the Black Sea to catch sturgeons by entangling. Iranian fishermen set about 150 sturgeon nets in one row perpendicular to the shoreline. Setting requires much labour; between each two nets a line is tied, which is...

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The primitive-looking fishes called sturgeons have ancestors dating back to the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Their name comes from the German word stor, or storen, which means "to poke or rummage about." It most likely refers to a sturgeon’s way of feeding. Sturgeons are members of the scientific family Acipenseridae and are related to paddlefish.

The largest freshwater fishes belong to the sturgeon family, and some species may live as long as 300 years. Sturgeons are valued for their flesh; their eggs, eaten as caviar; and their swim bladders, used to make isinglass, a gelatin. Because of the effects of overfishing and pollution, however, sturgeon fishing in some areas is strictly limited.